Climate-induced stress, migration and the escalation of farmer-herder conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review

Climate change is one of the primary global challenges, with adverse effects primarily affecting pastoral and farming communities in developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Climate change has also been reported to contribute significantly to farmer-herder conflicts in SSA, mainly due to competition in the utilisation of natural resources such as water and land. Guided by PRISMA protocols, this study systematically reviewed 29 peer-reviewed research articles on climate change-induced migration and the escalation of farmer-herder conflicts across SSA. These articles were accessed through Web of Science and Google Scholar and were published between 2009 and 2025. The study revealed that different climatic events, such as drought, desertification, increased temperature, and erratic rainfall, negatively affect pastoral and farming communities, prompting outmigration of pastoral communities into areas inhabited by farming communities and thereby accelerating farmer-herder conflicts. Western and Eastern African countries are particularly vulnerable to climate change-induced migration and farmer-herder conflicts. Socio-political factors, such as poor land governance, ethnic tensions, and weak institutional frameworks, further compound these conflicts. Therefore, while climate change is a significant catalyst of farmer-herder conflicts, it interacts with these socio-economic and political variables to escalate violence, displacements, and food insecurity across the region. The study highlights the need to promote local and global efforts to combat climate change, improve land governance systems, and foster collaborative efforts to address climate change-induced migration and farmer-herder conflicts across Africa.